Nathan Fellows Dixon was a United States Senator from Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

. Born in Plainfield, Connecticut

Plainfield, Connecticut

Plainfield is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 14,619 at the 2000 census. The town comprises four villages: Plainfield , Moosup , Wauregan , and Central Village . Each village has their own respective United States Post Office and fire department...

, he attended Plainfield Academy and graduated from the College of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (the former name of Brown University

Brown University

Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...

) at Providence in 1799. He studied law, was admitted to the bar

Bar (law)

Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...

 in 1801 and commenced practice in New London County, Connecticut

New London County, Connecticut

New London County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2010 the population was 274,055. The total area of the county is , including inland and coastal waters....

. He moved to Westerly, Rhode Island in 1802 and continued the practice of law, and also engaged in banking, serving as president of the Washington bank of Westerly from 1829 until his death.

Dixon was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives

Rhode Island House of Representatives

The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. It is composed of 75 members, elected to two year terms from 75 districts of equal population. The Rhode Island General Assembly does not have...

 from 1813 and 1830, and served as a colonel in the state militia. He was elected as a Whig

Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...

 to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1839 until his death in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 in 1842. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Claims (Twenty-seventh Congress). Interment in River Bend Cemetery, Westerly, Rhode Island.

Dixon's son Nathan Fellows Dixon

Nathan F. Dixon (1812-1881)

Nathan Fellows Dixon was a United States Representative from Rhode Island. He was the son of Nathan F. Dixon, and the father of Nathan F. Dixon, III....

 was a U.S. Representative and his grandson Nathan Fellows Dixon III was a U.S. Representative and Senator, all from Rhode Island.

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